Pipes Tips That Can Save You A Fortune

Pipes Tips That Can Save You A Fortune

Ready to make plumbing work for you? Great, time to get started! Wait, how do you do that and how do you get started? Never fear, here are some plumbing tips! This collection of advice should provide you with just the right amount of knowledge and inspiration to do your own plumbing.

Find a plumber that you can trust. Make sure to get referrals from friends and family so that you can prevent getting ripped off, which happens often. Also make sure not to pay the plumber before the work is completed. If you do that, there will not be an incentive to get the job completed in a timely manner.

Use a hairdryer to thaw frozen pipes, after you shut off the water to the house. A hairdryer will gently heat the pipe and thaw the ice without causing significant damage to the pipe. Shutting off the water first means that if the pipe is broken, there will be no rush of water into the house.

Check your faucets for leaks. Check the knobs and the faucet itself. Hundreds of gallons of water a day can be wasted due to leaks and that's not good if you're paying your water bill. By stopping a leak now, you can save yourself a lot of money. Leaks can grow over time as well, so avoid a disaster and check all faucets for leaks!

Ensure that everyone in your household knows how to turn off the main water supply, or knows how to contact someone who can. In the event of a burst pipe or other water-related emergency, you should immediately turn off the water to prevent flooding, structural damage, and a sky-high water bill.

Have your pipes in your plumbing system frozen? You can skip the cost of hiring a plumber by using this method. First, open the faucet so steam produced by the thawing process can escape. Begin thawing close to the faucet, and move down the line as each section thaws out. Use a hair dryer or a heat lamp to warm along the pipe. Even though this method consumes quite a bit of time, it is safer than most other heating methods. Furthermore, it requires no cleanup.

Drain the sediment from the bottom of your hot water heater twice a year to keep the hot water heater working at its optimal levels. Simply open the drain valve and allow the water to run out into a bucket until the water runs clear. Then close the drain valve.

Do not put your hand in the garbage disposal to remove a clog. This can be potentially harmful. Always use tongs to get out whatever is stuck in the disposal. Using tongs is much safer, and you will make sure your hand does not get cut on the disposer's sharp blades.

You can use two different methods to remove clean out plugs. One way is to make the fitting looser with a hammer and chisel. You can also chisel into the plug.

Do you have a frozen drainpipe? You can use a garden hose to thaw it out. First of all, remove the trap from the drainpipe and insert the hose until it will not go any further. While lifting up the other end of the hose, pour hot water down it. Keep pouring hot water down the hose until the drainpipe thaws. To save time with cleanup, keep a bucket underneath to catch the water that overflows.

If you have an odor coming from one or more fixtures in your house, it is likely this has to do with the water in water traps. Each fixture has a water trap that is sealed off to prevent odors. If the water evaporates, the odors can surface. Therefore, try adding water to the traps.

Drain the sediment from the bottom of your hot water heater twice a year to keep the hot water heater working at its optimal levels. Simply open the drain valve and allow the water to run out into a bucket until the water runs clear. Then close the drain valve.

You may want to consider tankless water heaters if you want to conserve water in your home. These kind of water heaters heat up your water as soon as it is being used, so you are not wasting energy on keeping your water hot when it is not being used.

When looking for a new toilet, you may want to consider getting a pressure assisted toilet. These kinds of toilets deliver water directly to a jet in the bottom of the toilet. This jet is very powerful and helps to remove waste quicker and more efficiently than other toilets do.

To prevent hair from clogging your drains, install strainers in each tub and shower to capture the hairs before they can go down the drain. When combined with soap build-up, hair can bring your drains to a complete standstill, so it's important to prevent the hairs from reaching the pipes in the first place.

Check for calcium and mineral deposits by turning on both the kitchen sink and the bathtub. If the volume of water is low, it may be time for you to replace pipes due to deposits of calcium and other minerals. Check the water pressure and consider calling a professional to handle the entire job.

As you can see, plumbing isn't so scary when you know what to do. Follow the tips you've read here next time you have a problem with your plumbing, and soon your problem will be solved, all without having to call an expensive plumber to fix the problem for you.